


Imaginary Friends

by ShadowReaper_912



Category: Just Roll With It (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, I'm Sorry, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23437096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowReaper_912/pseuds/ShadowReaper_912
Summary: A take on something else that could’ve happened during Season 1 Episode 19 (Into The Dire)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 65





	1. I Can See Right Through You

**Author's Note:**

> This took me awhile to write (procrastination -_-).  
> Thanks to Fluffle on discord for proof reading this mess for me!

Taxi had been feeling off since that morning. Not about his own health or wellbeing, but he had the feeling that...something indescribably horrible was going to happen. The feeling had grown in intensity when Hilltree had come running to them, barely conveying the message that Br’aad and Sylnan were in trouble before himself, Velrissa and Mountain had shot off towards the sewers like their lives depended on it. And though  _ their  _ lives didn’t, it was very possible that the Vengolor brothers' lives did. 

Taxi had hoped, he had  _ prayed  _ for anything but the worst case scenario, and they had been too late. 

As the light faded from Sylnan’s eyes, it began to leak through Br’aad. Velrisa moved forward, her intention to place a hand on Br’aad’s shoulder for any comfort she could offer in his time of denial.

She had expected to feel a warm shoulder, one maybe even shaking slightly from the shock of the sudden turn of events. She hadn’t expected...this. 

Instead of coming to rest on the half-elf’s hunched shoulder, she had to stumble to regain her balance. 

_ Her hand had gone straight through him. _

She took a few hasty steps backwards, almost bumping into Taxi the equally startled Tabaxi.

“W...What? Br’aad, what’s going on?” This was easily the most emotive Taxi had seen the Tiefling in the short month since they had met on that boat, but he was far too overwhelmed to say anything about it.

Br’aad turned to face them, revealing the faint tear tracks streaking down his tattooed face, and bringing to light a sudden translucency that was becoming more obvious by the second.

“Br’aad, seriously, you’re concerning me” Velrisa tried again, but to no avail. It was like the young man was unable to hear them, like he was looking right through them even though he was the one gradually becoming transparent.

It took him longer than it ever had to respond, and when he turned his head - in an oddly stiff manner - to face them, they all became unnerved. His face was completely void of any emotions, the dark trails running down his face being the only evidence of the sorrow that had been flowing from him mere moments earlier. 

“Don’t be concerned about me. You should help him. You should...help him.” Br’aad’s voice held no emotion as he spoke the words, perfectly mirroring his blank exterior. Despite his blurry vision, Taxi noticed how the words coming from his mouth seemed to lag behind the movement of his lips in an odd way that was impossible for even the best of performers; something Br’aad claimed to be countless times in their short time together. 

Br’aad slowly, and almost mechanically, reached an ethereal hand forward and brushed it against the side of his brother’s face, much to Velrissa’s surprise, the hand seemed to actually make contact with the cold, lifeless face instead of going straight through it. 

The blonde turned back to face them, and gave his best smile. It was nice to see, so none of them mentioned the fact that the smile didn’t seem to go anywhere near his eyes. They remained lifeless. 

“You’ve all been so good to us. As kids, we never  _ had  _ friends, let alone people we could trust. I’m sure Sylnan would’ve said the same things...if he were still here. Speaking of which, maybe you guys should pay a visit to The Wharfanage. It's the orphanage we grew up in. Unfortunately, I will be unable to accompany you there, but it’s been amazing having you all as friends.” The words still seemed to be coming from Br’aad, but his mouth was barely moving at all anymore, and at this point he was about as visible as the reflection in a window. 

With one last toothy smile, he disappeared. 


	2. The Wharfanage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trip to The Wharfanage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did come up with the name ‘The Wharfanage’.  
> You’re welcome.

Taxi and Velrissa stood in a shocked silence, staring at the place where Br’aad had been openly weeping over his brother just moments earlier. Sylnan’s body was still there, purple arm resting against a painfully still chest. A small wail broke them out of their stupor, and they looked down to see their Goblin friend - Hilltree - who was kneeling next to the half-elf’s unmoving body and sobbing. 

“Taxi,” Velrissa nudged him lightly, and he turned to see her eyes wide and fixed on the spot Br’aad disappeared from. 

“Something...Something’s not right. There’s an odd residual energy right... _ there. _ ” Velrissa’s hand shook slightly as she pointed at the ground. 

“Odd? In what way?” Taxi asked. His voice was solemn, and he hung his head in mourning over the lost brothers. 

“I’m not quite sure. Maybe...Maybe we should visit this ‘Wharfanage’ Br’aad referred to.” The Tiefling began to turn, ready to leave, when a small, broken voice piped up behind her. 

“I-I can take ya there. Tha’ Wharfanage used to be an ‘orrible place.” Hilltree wiped away one of the many tears streaming down his face as he shakily got to his feet. He glanced down at his best friend, sniffling as he looked into those lifeless eyes once again. Taxi kneeled down and gently picked up Sylnan’s body. 

“We can’t just leave him here. I’m sure Br’aad would’ve done everything in his power to bring him back...Maybe we should-“ Velrissa held up a hand. 

“Taxi, he’s dead. Br’aad is gone. What exactly are we meant to do?” Despite the harsh words, her tone was gentle and held no ill intent. The Tabaxi looked down, his eyes glistening, and he began walking. Hilltree slowly moved to the front of their small gloomy group and began to lead them through increasingly worsening alleyways. 

After a few minutes, they came to a stop in front of a large building. It looked miserable, despite the sounds of childish laughter emanating from within the thin walls. The porch they walked onto looked like it was barely supporting their weight, and the creaky boards suggested that it was near  _ ancient.  _

Taxi raised a hand to knock on the door when it opened, and they were met with a woman. She had a kind face framed by black hair that had begun to grey at the roots. 

She greeted them with a friendly smile, and a chirpy,

“Hello! My name is Winifred, but everyone calls me Winnie. How may I...help..you?” She trailed off as she noticed the limp form in the Tabaxi’s arms, and after a second, Winnie seemed to recoil in shock, an almost silent “Sylnan?” escaping from her mouth. 

“Did you know him?” Velrissa asked gently. She knew that this probably wouldn’t be easy for the poor woman, who simply nodded and ushered them inside, shielding the view of Sylnan from any children that got a little too curious. 

She led them through a kitchen, up one set of stairs, and then up a second set, remaining silent the whole way. Only when Winnie stopped outside of an old, rotting wooden door did she speak again. 

“Sylnan...He-He was just a  _ boy _ when I last saw him. No older than 10 when he escaped.” She gave a humourless chuckle. 

“It was probably for the best that he got out. Meant that he could finally move on, not meet the same fate that too many kids like him had previously.”

Hilltree looked up at the women with an astonished glimmer in his teary eyes. Sylnan never really talked about his childhood. Rarely to the Goblin, and almost never to their companions, so hearing the story from someone else was making the group tear up all over again. 

“What about Br’aad?” Velrissa understood why Winnie was telling them about the eldest Vengolor, but she had almost avoided talking about the eccentric half-elf altogether.

The kind woman had been unlocking the door they had stopped in front of so that she could open it, but her hands froze in their place and her face went cold. 

“Where did you hear that name?” Winnie’s tone had become shaky, and she didn’t look away from where her hands had stilled. 

“I...He’s been travelling with us for these past few weeks, but he seemed to just... _ disappear  _ when Sylnan...died.” Taxi reluctantly spoke to the distraught woman, unconsciously gripping Sylnan’s body tighter. 

Winnie let out a cold laugh, before she opened the door the rest of the way. Its hinges cried out in protest as it swung open, revealing a small room, decorated only with two rickety bed frames and broken toys scattered around the floor. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, and one of the beds - the one that had slightly more toys scattered around it - had a bunch of flowers that were skeletal, practically dust themselves. 

“I’m afraid you’ve been tricked. Or, at the very least, they wrongfully treated him as crazy for one too many years.” Winnie sounded slightly guilty at this point as she avoided looking at one of the beds, the one with the ‘flowers’.

“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what you mean.” Velrissa was gently prodding for more information, and Winnie rubbed a hand down her face, which suddenly looked a lot more exhausted. 

“Br’aad Vengolor has been dead for almost 15 years.” She paused at the shocked looks on the group's faces, letting them gather their thoughts. 

“Back then, Sylnan was 9. We decided to hire a councillor due to the...traumatic nature of his death. Odd fellow, he was. Even stranger name. He worked with Sylnan for...a week? Maybe two? He wasn’t here very long either way.”

Taxi asked if she could remember his name, and she took a few minutes rubbing at her forehead before she snapped her fingers and looked up with a successful smile on her face. 

“It was Ob’nockshai. He never let us sit in on their sessions, but whatever he did seemed to work. Although...after he left, Sylnan started talking about Br’aad like he was still here, alive. Odd enough, sometimes the staff would report seeing flashes of the kids golden hair.” Winnie became thoughtful, stepping towards the window to peer out of it. 

“Sylnan managed to leave a note before he left, though it was barely legible. It said something along the lines of ‘Give my thanks to Ob’nockshai for giving me my brother back, even if he is a little different.’. We left a message, but he never got back to us.” She shrugged. 

“Oh well. I’ll leave you guys alone for a bit, just come and find me if you need anything though, yeah?” They nodded their heads as the suddenly energetic woman left the room, and listened as the rhythmic tapping of her feet against the floor faded. 

Velrissa surveyed the toys on the floor, and picked up one that had caught her eye. It was a simple dress-up doll made of wood, but as it hung limply in her hand, she noticed the crudely fashioned elven ears on the sides of its head. She brushed some of the dust off of it, and set it down gently on the bed, paying her respects to someone that had been dead, and yet her friend. ‘What a bad Cleric I must be if I can hang around the dead for so long without even recognising him as such’ She berated herself. 

As the three friends, brought closer together with this unexpected knowledge, paid their respects in their own ways, the clock on the wall that had remained frozen since they entered began to tick. 

At first, it was barely audible, but as the seconds ticked by, their volume seemingly rose, and beneath the steady pounding was a low chuckle. 

“Aww, isn’t this  _ nice.  _ Such a shame I recreated Br’aad for Sylnan and not for this  _ feeble little party.  _ He would be disappointed.”

  
  



End file.
